ARLINGTON, Texas — The factors that decided Saturday night's second Final Four clash.

1. Wisconsin's energy, Randle's injury. Guard Traevon Jackson was electric early, giving the Badgers' backcourt the sideline-to-sideline energy to match Kentucky's overall athletic advantage. The entire team showed no jitters, in fact, outracing Kentucky to loose balls, forcing turnovers, scoring in transition and outfighting the Wildcats for rebounds – as when Duje Dukan wrestled an offensive rebound away from Kentucky forward James Young and found teammate Ben Brust, who nailed a three to give Wisconsin a 17-9 lead seven minutes into the game.

A few minutes later, Kentucky was greeted by a scary sight: Forward Julius Randle, the team's leading scorer and an All-American, left the game midway into the second half with an apparent right ankle injury. He spent several possessions either on the sideline, attended by Kentucky's medical personnel, or trying to walk it off along an area near the Wildcats' bench. While it wasn't a significant injury – Randle returned to the lineup with 7:47 left in the half – his absence did allow the Badgers to look inside: Wisconsin scored on layups by Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker on its next two trips down the court, building a 25-20 lead. Randle's ankle would be watched with anxiety throughout the remainder of the half, though it didn't stop the freshman from tying for the team lead with nine points.

2. The quiet Harrison twins. One need only pay attention to the final seconds of Kentucky's win against Michigan to understand the impact the Harrison twins have on the Wildcats' bottom line. At the half, however, the Harrison clan's impact was lacking. While the pair largely failed to convert their offensive chances – scoring seven points on 3-of-9 shooting – the Harrisons' biggest struggles came on defense, as Wisconsin guards Brust and Bronson Koenig – a freshman himself, though not of the five-star variety – combined for 21 points. At the half, Wisconsin led 40-36.

The Badgers' own offense was missing its greatest weapon. Kaminsky had only one shot attempt at the half, a fact that could be viewed in one of two ways: one, that Kentucky was effectively keeping the Badgers' forward out of the equation, or two, that Wisconsin held a four-point advantage even without Kaminsky's normal offensive output.

3. Calipari's early timeout. Rarely will a coach call a timeout so quickly into the second half. After a loose scrum led to a Sam Dekker three, giving Wisconsin a 43-36 lead 59 seconds into the half, Kentucky's John Calipari brought his team to the sidelines. The message? Whatever it was, Calipari's pep talk altered the complexion of this national semifinal. What followed was a flurry of Kentucky at its best:

Julius Randle hit a jumper on the Wildcats' first possession to make it 43-38. James Young went up and under Dekker, making the lefty layup and drawing the foul to make it 43-40. After Young missed the free throw, a loose rebound found its way back to the freshman, who made an open jumper to make it 43-42. Dakari Johnson rebounded his own miss and drew an and-one, making it 45-43. Alex Poythress tipped in a Young miss – 47-43. Marcus Lee with the dunk – 49-43 at the 15:33 mark. Kentucky was taking control.

4. Wisconsin fights back. Not so fast, Wildcats. Wisconsin shot back into the lead with a monster run of its own, removing Kentucky's sense of momentum. With help from Dukan, who made a pair of threes, the Badgers scored 19 points in a six-minute span to move ahead 62-59 with 9:29 left in the game. These six minutes featured some of the best basketball of the tournament: Wisconsin and Kentucky went back and forth, with Wisconsin answering with two body blows for Kentucky's one. Put simply, this was Wisconsin basketball – steady, secure, poised and unflappable. So much for Kentucky running away in the second half.

5. But Kentucky is strong – and clutch. What made the difference in Kentucky's 74-73 win? Try the Wildcats' strength and toughness near the basket. In all, Kentucky outscored Wisconsin 46-24 in the paint. The Wildcats also outscored the Badgers 23-10 in second-chance points – another marker to describe how Kentucky's frontcourt crashed and pounded the boards. This asset helped Kentucky at first keep pace with Wisconsin, which continued to hold the Wildcats at bay, and then take the lead with 2:11 left. Eventually, Kentucky's big men stood tall.

Oh, and the Wildcats are clutch – and Aaron Harrison in particular. After Traevon Jackson made two of three free throws to give Wisconsin a 73-71 lead with 16 seconds left, Harrison nailed a three from the left wing to put Kentucky back ahead, 74-73, with 5.7 seconds remaining. Look and sound familiar? It was only a week ago that Harrison's late bomb lifted the Wildcats past Michigan and into the Final Four. This is what he does, it seems.

ALL THE FINAL FOUR ACTION FROM KENTUCKY VS. WISCONSIN

Just a month after being left for dead, freshmen-led Kentucky will play for the national championship. The Wildcats knocked off Wisconsin 74-73 in the semifinals to advance to the title game against Connecticut. Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports

After sinking the game-winner in the regional final, Harrison (2) did it again in the Final Four, burying a three-pointer over Wisconsin guard Josh Gasser (21) during the closing seconds. Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports